To Shaving Cream
by talking cockerel
Summary: One shot, drabble. Hanabusa Aido intrudes on Kaname without so much as a by-your-leave, and ends up having an inconsequential, precious memory. Kaname and Aido.


A/N : Hallo, all! It's been a long, long time!

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Hanabusa has always been more curious than is advisable, to say nothing of where Kaname Kuran is concerned. Kuran-sama's room door is ajar - and then, Kuran-sama's bathroom door is ajar - and here, Hanabusa becomes recklessly inquisitive – he walks over and peers in.

That Kaname shaves at all takes Hanabusa completely by surprise. Hanabusa stares, enchanted and not a little unnerved, at the soapy lather over Kaname's jaw. It is a short knife that Kaname uses in place of a razor. Kaname tilts the knife and drags it up. Perhaps it is just a pureblood's way, but the movement is cool and sensuous. It draws Hanabusa's attention to the plane of Kuran's face, and the way his throat is bared. To see smooth marble paved under the knife makes Hanabusa's breath catch in his throat.

Kaname sees Aido's reflection in the mirror just as he rests the knife on another part of his lower jaw. Hanabusa jumps and his eyes widen in panic when he realizes that the pureblood's gaze is upon him – knowing there is nothing for him to deny – and Hanabusa flushes.

Kaname jerks his chin to one side. He does not need words to command. Hanabusa swallows, enters the bathroom timidly. Hanabusa stands where he can see Kaname's side profile and also his expression in the mirror. Kaname is wearing only pants, not that Hanabusa feels awkward about it…or anything.

Kaname resumes shaving, and when he flicks his knife, Hanabusa shoots his hand out, lightning quick, and snatches a cloud of foam before it falls into the sink. Without thinking he brings it up to his face and it smells of Kaname. A bit of cream which has touched Kaname's face for a moment has Kaname's smell now.

Hanabusa's eyes are arrested again, by the bloody gaze with a sharper edge than the gleaming silver blade. His nose nearly touching the foam, he lowers his hand, the one cupping some Kaname-scented foam, and feels stupid and disgraced, but he cannot look away from Kaname, not when he is frozen by bloody gleaming eyes like that.

Kaname not-quite-snorts – he exhales quickly through his nose making a soft derisive _hssh_ sound and positions the knife again. He is merciful, for he releases Hanabusa from his knowing eyes. Up, and _flick _– Hanabusa shoots for it, yes! Another small patch of foam on his palm, the second one. Up, _flick – _but this third clump of foam falls at a different angle, and Hanabusa's hand hits Kaname's chest as he reaches for it.

Hanabusa gasps and snatches his hand back, his face flaming, his neck and ears on fire. _I just hit his chest. _Kaname not-quite-snorts again and Hanabusa wants to say sorry and he also wants to ask, defiantly, _what's so funny? _but he has never been very eloquent around Kaname so he glares at the sink full of white bubbles and contents himself with the two foam clouds sitting, a little off-shape, and already somewhat shrinking into the air, on his right hand.

Hanabusa sees, with a tingly sort of shudder, that Kaname is quite fat-less – not that he didn't know before but even when Kaname raises his arm to use his knife his deltoids flex very…. If he looks down his back it goes in before the waist of his pants and under his pants there is a slight outward curve. Hanabusa swallows and he presses his lips together.

Kaname finishes and leans down to wash his face. Hanabusa sees the way his spine and shoulder blades becomes more defined. He then straightens his arms and rests his weight on them, and tilts his head down and right, looking at Hanabusa from the corner of his eye. With his head lowered and the hair falling over his eyes like that, Kaname's gaze is cobra-like shadowed. Hanabusa takes a step back, uncertain.

"Well?"

Hanabusa bites his lip slowly, like a prey moving slowly to avoid catching its predator's attention. He still has some foam on his right palm.

"W…wh…" actually he meant _Well, what, _but as usual words fail Hanabusa.

Kaname turns around and faces Hanabusa chest-on, broad shouldered, and Hanabusa stutters again and takes another step back -because nobody looks Kaname Kuran eye to eye like - that not even Asato Ichiou. The bathroom is spacious and Hanabusa steps back a third time, his knees trembling. He can continue back-stepping, but he knows he cannot escape from Kaname.

Kaname's lips quirk. He takes his shirt from a peg and walks off.

"Come."

He steps out of the bathroom and Hanabusa heels him like a dog, of course. There is a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table where the sofas are and while Kaname sits, Hanabusa goes to the table. There is no question that he will serve but he does not know how to. And now Kaname is apprising him silently, waiting for Hanabusa to pour. Hanabusa has almost forgotten the foam on his hands, it sits so light. He wipes it off on his pants, a little or extremely flustered by Kaname's continuous scrutiny, and he takes the bottle and uncorks it with a loud pop.

Hanabusa stalls for a moment, sure that nobody has ever opened wine quite so uncouthly. Then, looking at Kaname for approval and seeing none, he begins, quite inexpertly, to pour. The neck of the bottle trembles as he tries to control the volume. First he is so cautious that wine drips out slowly as though through a clogged faucet, then it splashes all over as Hanabusa tilts and jerks the bottle around –

"That's enough."

Hanabusa jumps and dumps so much wine into the glass it slops over the edge and onto the table. Obviously if it was enough before it is much too much now.

"I-I'm sorry, I'll do it again – you take t-this –" Hanabusa tries again in the second glass and stops it where he remembers he should. "Is this ok?"

"It will do."

Hanabusa puts the bottle down, but he remains standing. Kaname makes no move to take the glass. Should he be offering it to Kaname? He does not remember how his own lord father and lady mother were served wine.

Kaname gestures to the sofa, and Hanabusa sits very primly at the other end. It is then that Kaname takes his glass, so Hanabusa takes the other.

"To shaving cream," Kaname says with a wry smile, toasting Hanabusa.

"To – sha – wha – eh?" Aido is confused, very much so, but Kaname has already raised his glass to his lips and Hanabusa follows quickly. He thinks people usually drink together after a toast so it would be rude for him to delay Kuran-sama. The terrible sight of blood red eyes over the rim of blood red wine makes Hanabusa's stomach twist. When Kaname swallows his throat moves, like a snake swallowing an egg whole. Hanabusa's hand shakes and he spills wine over himself.

"S-sorry," he says just as the door opens and a servant enters bearing dinner. Raw fish for Hanabusa, his favourite s_ashimi, _and a lamb steak for Kaname. The servant does not comment on Hanabusa and the wine on his chin and shirt and the way his cheeks have two bright, embarrassed spots.

The meal is delicious. For the first time since Hanabusa has come here he forgets to think only about Kaname. The wine is strong but the food is…good. Very good. And he is eating with Kaname.

For some reason, that makes Hanabusa chew his food very carefully and swallow it very daintily. It's like Kaname's presence makes him acutely conscious of himself and he becomes very focused on being well behaved. He even remembers to refill Kaname's glass.

It comes to him suddenly, the memory of Japanese geishas pouring tea and serving, the way they move their willow wrists and hands beneath their kimonos and make service an art.

Halfway through the meal, Hanabusa is desperate and squirming under Kaname's relentless inspection and he blurts out – "We never take red wine with raw fish" like the spoilt oriental brat that he is, to which Kaname immediately says to the servant, "sake for our honoured guest."

"It's alright!" Hanabusa says quickly, but Kaname has very devoted servants (amongst other things) at his disposal. Rice wine is served impeccably and Hanabusa sips it, though it is so strong he has to blink.

"I didn't know you shave," he then says. He nearly says out loud too : _argh you stupid big mouth idiot! _which would have been disastrous. Thankfully he doesn't.

Kaname chooses to be nice and he shrugs. "Haruka didn't shave. Juuri didn't, obviously. Rido did. It doesn't always happen. Akatsuki will definitely have to shave, Senri Shiki and Takuma Ichijou too, perhaps."

Here he touches Hanabusa's cheek with a the back of his fingers and over the clatter of Hanabusa dropping his cutlery Kaname says Hanabusa will not have to shave. Hanabusa manages not to turn his lips towards Kaname's hand, but Kaname seems to know anyway and smiles.

Kaname is a perfect gentleman as always. He shows Hanabusa back to his own room and says goodnight. It is all very chaste but when Aido presses his face into his pillow he wishes it smelled of Kaname's shaving cream.

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End.

How did you like it? Reviews, comments, constructive criticisms, are all very welcome.

Point of attention : It might be noticed that the sentences here aren't always grammatically correct. I am aware of some of the punctuation or structural errors, but most of them are intentionally there to convey Hanabusa's almost-incoherence and babble of thoughts.

Thank you!

Yours, Cockerel


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